>> Bret: PETER, THANK YOU.
BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN AND
ACTIVIST WHO HAS SPENT BILLIONS
OF HIS OWN MONEY.
HE JOINS US TONIGHT LIVE FROM
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> BRETT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR HAVING ME.
>> Bret: I WANT TO GO THROUGH
A COUPLE OF THINGS AND THEN GET
TO SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU
WANT TO TALK ABOUT.
YOU, I ASSUME, THE PRIMARY
CONCERN FOR YOU IS TO GET
PRESIDENT TRUMP OUT OF OFFICE
PER YOU'VE SPENT A LOT OF YOUR
MONEY TO DO JUST THAT.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THE FIELD
OF 20 PLUS DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATES, WHAT DID YOU SAY?
DID YOU SAY THAT THEY CAN'T WIN,
SO I NEED TO GET INTO DO IT?
>> MY REAL MOTIVATION HERE,
BRET, IS THAT I WAS WORRIED THAT
WE WOULDN'T DEAL WITH THE BASIC
PROBLEMS IN FRONT OF AMERICANS
AND WHEN IT BE TELLING THE TRUTH
ABOUT WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO.
THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE FOR
AMERICANS THAT I HAVE BEEN
CALLING OUT, IS THAT WE'VE HAD A
FAILURE OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
WE'VE HAD A CORPORATE TAKEOVER
OF OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT
THEY'VE ACTUALLY BOUGHT THE
GOVERNMENT AND THAT WE NEED TO
RESTORE OUR DEMOCRACY TO GET
BACK TO GOVERNMENT OF, BY, AND
FOR THE PEOPLE, THAT PUTS THE
INTERESTS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
FIRST, NOT THE PROFITS OF
CORPORATIONS.
>> Bret: I'M BETTER THAN THE
20 PLUS CANDIDATES STANDING
THERE.
>> Tom: WELL, I WAS WORRIED,
BRET THAT WE WOULD BE TALKING
ABOUT PLANS IN TERMS OF MEDICALC
ABOUT PLANS IN TERMS OF MEDICALR
ABOUT PLANS IN TERMS OF MEDICAL.
WE'D BE TALKING ABOUT PLANS IN
TERMS OF EDUCATION.
WE WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT THE
PLANS THAT YOU WERE JUST
REFERENCING WITH REGARDS TO THE
GREEN NEW DEAL.
WE NEED TO LEVEL WITH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
FOR ANY OF THOSE PLANS TO BE
SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED, WE HAVE TO
BREAK THIS CORPORATE
STRANGLEHOLD ON OUR DEMOCRACY.
I THINK 4 OUT OF 5 AMERICANS,
REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS, AND
INDEPENDENCE THINK THAT THIS
DEMOCRACY HAS BEEN BOUGHT BY
CORPORATIONS.
IT GOES ACROSS PARTY ISSUES.
IT GOES ACROSS GEOGRAPHY.
THAT'S WHAT I THINK WE HAVE TO
CONSIDER.
CAN WE GET BACK A FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS?
CAN WE RESTORE GOVERNMENT OFF,
BUY, AND FOR THE PEOPLE?
SEE WHEN YOU KNOW THAT CRITICS
IN YOUR OWN PARTY, INCLUDING
BERNIE SANDERS SAYS THAT THEY
DON'T LIKE THE BILLIONAIRES
ARE IN THIS RACE TRYING TO BUY
THIS RACE.
I WANT TO JUST ASK YOU ABOUT
WHERE YOU STAND.
YOU ARE NOT ON THE NEXT BASE IN
HOUSTON.
AND YOU ARE NOT INVITED TO THE
TOWN HALL TONIGHT ON CLIMATE
CHANGE, A KEY TOPIC FOR YOU.
POLL'S HAS YOU ACT JUST 4%.
WHY SHOULD THEY BELIEVE THAT YOU
ARE GOING TO MAKE IT?
>> Tom: I'VE BEEN IN THIS RACE
FOR SIX OR SEVEN WEEKS, BRETT.
I'VE BEEN SPENDING MY TIME IN
THE EARLY PRIMARY STATES.
THAT'S NEW HAMPSHIRE, IOWA,
SOUTH CAROLINA, AND NEVADA.
IF YOU LOOK IN THOSE STATES, I'M
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SIX AND 7%,
AND I'M EITHER IN FOURTH PLACE
OR IN FIFTH PLACE.
MY POINT TO YOU IS, MY MESSAGE
THAT WE NEED TO BREAK THIS
CORPORATE STRANGLEHOLD, AND THAT
I'M SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN DOING
THAT AS AN OUTSIDER IN POLITICS
FOR TEN YEARS, PUTTING TOGETHER
COALITIONS OF NORMAL ORDINARY
AMERICAN CITIZENS TO BREAK THE
CORPORATE STRANGLEHOLD AND
WINNING, IS SOMETHING THAT
ACTUALLY IS RESONATING IN PLACES
WHERE MY MESSAGES GOING OUT.
THAT PEOPLE DO HEAR IT AND THEY
ARE RESPONDING POSITIVELY, AND I
EXPECT THEY'LL CONTINUE TO.
>> Bret: IT IS A BIG ISSUE FOR
YOU.
ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'VE TALKED
ABOUT IS GETTING BACK INTO THE
ACCORD.
IS THAT RIGHT?
>> Tom: WELL, ACTUALLY, BRET,
OF COURSE I WOULD GET BACK INTO
THE PARIS ACCORD.
BUT I VIEW THAT AS AN IMPORTANT
SYMBOLIC GESTURE, BUT NOT
ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT'S GOING
TO CHANGE THE WORLD DOES OR WHAT
AMERICA DOES.
WHAT I'VE SAID, MUCH BEYOND
GETTING BACK INTO THE PARIS
ACCORD, IS THAT I WOULD DECLARE
A STATE OF EMERGENCY ON DAY ONE,
AND I WOULD USE THE EMERGENCY
POWERS OF THE PRESIDENCY TO
START US TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE
OF CLIMATE CHANGE, TO MAKE IT
PRIORITY ONE, AND TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE PROTECT THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF EVERY AMERICAN ON DAY
ONE, AS COMMANDER AND CHIEF.
>> Bret: YET.
I MEAN, I YOU CRITICIZED THE
PRESIDENT FOR PULLING OUT OF THE
PARIS ACCORD, AND OTHER
DEMOCRATS HAVE DONE THE SAME
THING.
WHAT YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE
SAID THAT THAT WAS JUST NOT A
GOOD DEAL TO BEGIN WITH?
ONE OF THEM IS OUR FORMER
COLLEAGUE HERE, CHARLES, WHO HAD
ON THE PANEL WHEN ALL THAT WAS
HAPPENING.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> RIGHT NOW, IT MAKES NO SENSE.
IT HAS NO ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM.
IT'S ALL VOLUNTARY.
SELF-IMPOSED.
THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH IT.
THE CHINESE ESSENTIALLY HAVE A
CLEAR EYE FOR 15 YEARS.
THE INDIANS HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT
THEY'RE GOING TO INCREASE SEE OH
TWO EMISSIONS.
WE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO
HAVE TO REVIEW THIS.
>> Bret: AFTER THAT,
PRESIDENT TRUMP POINTED OUT THAT
THE U.S. IS ACTUALLY REDUCING
EMISSIONS MORE THAN ANY OTHER
COUNTRY.
>> Tom: LET ME SAY THIS.
THE PARIS ACCORD IS BY NO MEANS
PERFECT.
BUT IF WE ARE GOING TO PUSH --
THIS IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM, BRET,
AND YOU KNOW IT.
WE ALL KNOW IT'S A GLOBAL
PROBLEM.
IF WE ARE GOING TO SOLVE IT, WE
ARE GOING TO HAVE TO SOLVE IT ON
A GLOBAL BASIS.
THAT MEANS TWO THINGS.
IT MEANS AMERICA HAS TO GO BACK
TO BEING THE MORAL LEADER OF THE
WORLD, MORAL, TECHNOLOGICAL,
COMMERCIAL LEADER OF THE WORLD,
WHICH IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN FOR
MORE THAN A CENTURY.
AND SECONDLY, FOR US TO DO THAT,
FOR US TO GO TO INDIA AND GO TO
CHINA AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE
ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DO
TOGETHER.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE OUR
HOUSE IN ORDER.
I CAN TELL YOU THIS AS A
BUSINESSMAN.
I'VE STUDIED THIS FOR OVER A
DECADE.
WE CAN DO THIS IN A WAY THAT
WILL HAVE LOWER COST OF ENERGY,
WE WILL GROW FASTER AS A COUNTR
COUNTRY.
PEOPLE WILL HAVE HIGHER WAGES
AND BE HEALTHIER.
THIS WHOLE ARGUMENT THAT THIS IS
GOING TO SOMEHOW BE A DRAG ON
THE AMERICAN ECONOMY IS
COMPLETELY FALSE.
IN TRUTH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
CAN RESTORE US AS A COUNTRY AND
MAKE US RICHER AND MAKE US
HEALTHIER.
TO BE 11 OF THE OTHER THINGS
THAT YOU ARE PUSHING FOR AND HAS
SPENT A LOT OF MONEY ON IS AN
IMPEACHMENT EFFORT.
YOU SEE THAT IT HAS INCREASED.
DO YOU STILL LEAVE THAT THIS
PRESIDENT SHOULD BE IMPEACHED?
>> Tom: YOU KNOW, BRET.
I REALLY DO.
I THINK HE'S THE MOST CORRUPT
PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
I THINK HE'S MORE THAN MET THE
CRITERIA FOR IMPEACHMENT, AND I
THINK HE THREATENS THE SAFETY OF
AMERICANS, BUT MORE THAN THAT,
HE THREATENS THE WHOLE IDEA OF
RULE OF LAW.
THE PRESIDENT CAN'T BE ABOVE THE
LAW IF WE ARE TO BE A NATION OF
LAWS.
SO DO I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD
STAND UP ON BEHALF OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE TO PROTECT OUR
CONSTITUTION AND OUR WAY OF
LIFE?
OF COURSE I DO.
THAT'S NEVER CHANGED.
I HAVE ALWAYS FELT THAT WHAT WE
WERE STANDING FOR WAS THE RIGHT
OF EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN TO BE
JUDGED FAIRLY, FOR NOBODY TO BE